This chapter contains my interpretation of some events we've already seen play out: not stealing source material, just expanding on it ;) plus some of the dialogue really is just too good not to incorporate. I'm also delving a little further into the dynamic of Stefan/Ben's relationship - it's fascinating to me. Enjoy ❤

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"It's as I told you, Mr. Weston, this is on a trial basis until you do something that even remotely displeases me. At which time I'll happily reinstate your position to town pariah and your residence to the Salem Mission." Stefan DiMera was clearly in a foul mood. It had been less than a week since he'd hired Ben as his head of security, and already this morning he'd found a way to be cross. Stefan stood motionless in front of the fireplace, staring at the flames. Ben did his best to swallow any annoyance in his tone.

"I haven't forgotten. But you don't have to worry, I'm not going to do anything to make you have to. You giving me a chance to make any kind of a living isn't something I take lightly. Which is why, as you've asked, the grounds are secured for the arrival of your daughter. In addition, there are 2 new guards constantly monitoring and roaming the estate at 2 hour intervals, through the main house and the gardens. The new security system has been installed and the safes have been recoded, awaiting your thumbprint. Here are the new specs for the house and grounds." Ben spoke clearly, reaching into his jacket pocket and handed Stefan a small black envelope. He looked surprised.

"You know you're not getting any bonuses for doing it this quickly?"

"Yes sir, just doing my due diligence."

Stefan's eyebrows raised.

"But I had hoped since my first task was done so quickly and above standards, I could have the night off." He didn't phrase it as a question... this was more than generous considering there was no one yet in the house to guard besides Stefan.

"And the point emerges." He replied, turning to roll his eyes at Ben. "So tell me, what is it that's more pressing than your duties this evening, Mr Weston?"

Ben didn't move, knowing this was a test.

"If I didn't feel confident my duties were performed well above your standards, I wouldn't even ask. And the fact I'm asking at all means I'm building a system not dependent on one person alone.

"And why should that be comforting to me?

"Because one man who does everything above standard is good. Five is better." Ben urged. Stefan didn't take his eyes off him as he finished the scotch in his hand.

"You make a compelling argument, Mr. Weston. Only two things motivates a man like that: power or a woman. Does this have anything to do with the mystery girl you were so smitten with you asked for room and board before your first day on staff?" Stefan was toying with him, clearly already knowing the answer.

Ben didn't react. He didn't trust Stefan enough yet to confide in him about Ciara, she was far too precious to be used as leverage with a DiMera. So, vague was still the best option. "It would give an opportunity for the new men to patrol the grounds without me micromanaging them. And it gives you less-"

"Save your breath – it's about the girl. Only because your performance is adequate so far, and not because of your forlorn platitudes – you can have the next 6 hours. I hope she's worth it." Stefan voice was dripping with sarcasm but Ben wasn't fazed.

"She's quite the girl." Ben said with a slight smirk. Stefan didn't seem amused, but he knew Stefan was partial to him already. The local town pariahs had to stick together, after all – there was no other option for either of them.

"But you're on call, and should you be called for any reason you will report back here immediately. Am I understood, Mr. Weston?"

"Absolutely sir. Thank you, sir." Ben did his best to contain his excitement, as Stefan shooed him with one hand and exited the room.

"Chinese takeout in the park? This is definitely a first for me." Ciara said as Ben pulled blankets from his bag. They were in center of the town square park, the air felt as though it could turn to snow at any moment.

"Well, since Doug's place was out,"

Ciara grimaced. "I'm really sorry about that. My grandmother was so out of line, refusing to seat us, and the way she talked to you,"

"Don't even worry about it, Ciara. I'm with you - Nothing is going to ruin this night for me.

She couldn't help but smile. "I'm honestly starving." He settled on the bench next to her, draping a blanket over both their laps. He tucked it under her legs slightly, causing a shiver

"Oh that's right… you're crazy ticklish. I'm sorry," Ben said with a grin, indicating he wasn't in the slightest.

Ciara went crimson, she couldn't believe a touch that small from him caused such a reaction. It was quiet between them as they ate.

"Seriously, I can't believe you remember me telling you that," Ciara said in between bites of her beef and broccoli.

"How can I forget? When I was washing your feet you nearly took my teeth out with that kick to my face!"

Ciara held in a laugh. Ben put his arm around the bench, leaning close to her. "Of course I remember. That was the moment I knew you trusted me.

She leaned in toward him, just a breath from his face. "I didn't understand it. But I couldn't stop myself. I knew I was safe with you."

Ben's other hand went to her lap, and she placed her hands under his. "You are. Always." He whispered.

She gazed back at him, her eyes full of warmth. "So. I didn't get to ask you about your new job the other day. Who ended up hiring you? I want to send them an Edible Arrangement or something." Ciara smiled. Ben's face dropped slightly.

"You may not think so after I tell you,"

"What? Why? Who are you working for, Ben?"

He turned toward her, taking a breath, knowing this could be a fight. "I'm the new head of security for Stefan DiMera."

Ciara seemed to freeze in place. "What?!" Her voice was barely above a whisper.

"Ciara, hear me out, okay? I'm watching the grounds, guarding the estate. Protecting him when and if he travels for business. That's it."

"Really? Because I know what kind of business the DiMera family does and so do you. Are you really going to try to tell me you're not some hired henchman?!" She stood up from the bench quickly, throwing the blanket backward. He got up after her.

"Ciara, I'm trying to tell you-"

"How exactly am I supposed to feel about you working for the DiMera's? And for Stefan, after all he's done to my family? To Abigail?"

"You know I went through every part of this town trying to find any opportunity - it wasn't happening, Ciara. Not even dive bars wanted me to clean tables. This is an opportunity for me to actually do something to get my life back on track."

"I know... I know you tried, all over town. But really, Ben? Stefan DiMera? He is despicable."

"It's a chance, Ciara. That's all it is. I'm mostly just protecting the guy-"

"Doesn't the fact that he needs protecting tell you something about who he is? He doesn't deserve it!"

Ben sighed... This was not going well.

"What's going to happen when he asks you to cross the line, Ben? Because you and I both know it's only a matter of time. And when it happens, you'll be the one who's doing his dirty work. You're okay with that?" She stepped toward him, her voice rising. He shook his head.

"Of course not, Ciara. The first thing I told him is that I'm reformed - There are boundaries I will never cross again. I learned in therapy: setting structure for your life is the only way to control your behaviors. There are lines I won't cross for Stefan DiMera, or anyone else, and that's that."

"But what are those lines, Ben? Knocking someone out? Getting physical with them? Hurting someone?" She asked, clearly horrified by the thought. Ben sighed, having asked all these questions of himself before taking the job but not having answers. Didn't she see? He had no choice.

"Ciara, I need you to trust that I know my boundaries. And that I will abide by them. Not just for me, but for you."

"And what does that mean to me, Ben? What happens when Stefan asks you to do something that takes you away from me?" Ciara asked intently, eyes full. Ben exhaled with relief, finally understanding. He stepped toward her immediately, hands reaching for her face.

"I don't want to lose you." Ciara whispered firmly. His hands rested over her ears, fingers in her hair.

"Listen to me, okay? I promise you right now that I will never put what we have in jeopardy. I promise that you are my priority, no matter what. Ciara, you come first." He caressed her face, the tension between them alleviating. "I promise - I'm not going anywhere."

"Good."

They stood holding each other for a few moments longer, and she sniffed slightly. The cold air plus their charged conversation had clearly affected her. Ciara went to sit back down on the bench, and he followed, placing the blanket over her.

"So, can we move forward from this? You and me?" He asked hopefully. She looked at him intently.

"I won't lie to you - I don't like it. But it's your life. So if Stefan is the one who's giving you a chance to prove to everyone who you really are... I can accept it. For now. I trust you, Ben."

Ben put his arm around the bench just behind her, leaning in. "You're amazing." Ciara smiled as his arm tightened around her.

"I'm glad that you recognize that." Finally the tension was leaving her voice, the air between them had settled.

"Now, didn't we have some fortune cookies to break into?" He said playfully, trying to lighten the mood.

"I think so." She smiled, reaching into it from the takeout bag. "I've got mine, you go first."

"Huh… 'Good things come to those who wait.'"

"Ugh. I hate clichés like that. Don't you?"

"Not if they end up being true." He said, rubbing her back slightly. Ciara smiled, reaching for hers. Looking down she couldn't believe what was in her hands.

'Keep your guard up, not all is as it seems.'

Ciara's mind went blank - assuredly a fortune cookie couldn't be against her and Ben, too?

"What's yours say?" He asked breezily, eyes content. Ciara refused to let a stupid cookie ruin their night.

"It says that the next part of my date will begin with a kiss." She said somewhat innocently. "Maybe you could help me with that," she leaned toward him, and he immediately brought his arm around her shoulders pulling her into a kiss. His other hand cupped her face, and she brought her hand up to his arm, holding it in place. She felt him tilting his head and couldn't help but reciprocate, wanting to pick up where they had left off the other day when Rafe had broken them up in front of the pub. Ciara could feel the tension from their conversation melting away and instead was fusing them closer together as they kissed. But all too soon he pulled back, gazing at her.

"Hang on. Did you say next part of the date?"

She laughed. "I did say that, didn't I? Well you handled dinner, I thought it was only fair I take care of dessert."

"And here I thought that's what the fortune cookies are for?

"For dessert we're going away from Chinese - and back more to your roots, Mr. Ozark." Ciara said cryptically, standing and reaching for his hand. Ben's eyes narrowed.

"You're really not going to let me live that one down, are you?"

"Not for a while, no." She said with a smirk. He leaned into her without even thinking, his face tantalizingly close. He lingered there for a minute, looking at her lips.

"Alright well, I am officially intrigued."

Ciara stood up from the bench with clear excitement, stretching her hand toward him. "Come on, I'll lead the way." Ben grabbed her hand, his eyes warm as she interlocked their fingers and they turned to leave.

"Breaking and entering on the first date - that's pretty next level stuff." Ben said softly as Ciara fished her keys out of her purse. They were in front of the Brady Pub, but the lights were off - it was clearly closed.

"That implies I don't have permission to be here. And my name is very clearly on the door. Plus I have a key," she said with a smirk. Ben smiled.

"So, since we're *not* breaking into the Brady Pub at 10 o'clock... what are we doing exactly?"

The door swung open and Ciara stood in the entryway. "Only one way to find out," she grabbed his arm, pulling him inside. Ciara quickly darted toward the back, as Ben carefully closed the door, making sure the curtains were drawn. Suddenly a soft lighting came on, and Ben turned to find a table set just to the left of the bar. On it was a large, circular cake display with a sheet over it that Ciara stood next to with a gleam in her eye.

"Okay so confession time: I may have googled popular foods from where you grew up." She quickly pulled away the towel on top of the glass casing to reveal what looked to be a pastry of some kind.

Ben smirked slightly, examining the dessert. "Is that blackberry cobbler?!" He said with slight astonishment.

"Yes. And full disclosure, I've never made one, so if it's terrible..." she shrugged.

He looked at the case and dessert inside with wonder. "You made this for me?" He said quietly.

"Yeah! Well… looking at the different desserts I just sort of guessed what you might have liked -"

"You guessed perfectly. It's my favorite. I can't remember the last time I had it."

"Well, sit. I'll cut us some." He sat at the barstool nearest to her, taking off his jacket. "So... this is the thing where you're from?" Ciara asked with a smile, going behind the bar.

"My mother used to make the best cobbler in 3 counties, and blackberry was always her favorite." Ben said, his tone an edge more somber. Ciara took the slicer to cut a piece for him, staying silent. She waited for him to continue - he had never brought up his mother. "We never had a lot of sweets in the house, and we couldn't afford to have candy just lying around. But in the summertime, we had blackberries as far as the eye could see. Jordan and I would run up and down the patch, eating till we were so full we'd just lay on the ground," Ben smiled to himself, clearly recounting a fond memory.

"That sounds nice. I can almost see you as a kid, purple mouth and all." Ciara smiled, handing him a plate.

"We'd eat till we couldn't move, but only after we'd picked hundreds for my mother's cobbler. Jordan never had much patience for cooking, but I loved helping her make it. She'd let me press the dough, and she'd always sing to herself as we baked together." Ben tentatively took a small bite. Ciara smiled as she watched him, she hadn't moved listening to him recount memories of his mother for the first time in who knew how long.

"Ciara, I can't believe you made this." He said after a few moments. She smirked.

"I told you we were a donuts family! Baking is in my Horton blood." Ciara said triumphantly. "So... do you like it?"

Ben looked down at his nearly empty plate. "Considering I ate 4 bites in the last 30 seconds, what do you think?"

"Really?! Oh Ben, I'm so glad you like it! I've never actually made a cobbler before." Ciara said carefully, coming toward him around from the bar. He'd finished his plate by the time she reached him, swinging the barstool to face her.

"I loved it, I can't thank you enough. I haven't had blackberry cobbler that good since I was a kid."

"I will take that as a compliment, it sounds like you have high standards for it."

"You should, because I do." He smiled, leaning toward her. Ciara did the same unconsciously, leaning against his knees slightly. She looked at him intently.

"Thank you,"

Ben's eyebrows raised. "For what?"

"For having Chinese in the park with me. For telling me about your mom. For tonight. It's everything I wanted." Ciara said quietly.

He carefully stood up, his hands reaching for hers. One settled on her waist, and he softly brought the other to her face, pushing back some of the hair that had fallen forward behind her ears. Ciara shuddered slightly. "It's you I should be thanking. For breaking in here, for making me that cobbler, and for agreeing to go out with me at all. I know it's only our first date but, Ciara, I need you to know that this, being with you... it means everything to me."

Ciara leaned into his hand, feeling the nerves pooling in her stomach. "There's nowhere else I'd rather be and no one else I want to be with right now more than you, Ben." He tugged her hair slightly, causing her head to dip to the side. Suddenly the air between them felt like it was charged, she looked into his eyes and felt the intensity rising. Finally, unable to take any more, she reached for his collar and pulled him to her.

His lips were slightly sweet from the cobbler, it made Ciara smile. His hand tightened at her waist and hair, she then held his wrists softly, holding him to her. She could feel he was holding back, and frankly so was she. But the soft, gentle way he kissed her made her heart skip a beat. This was the Ben she knew, this was the man he was now. Good, kind, considerate. Gentle. Absentmindedly her hands went down to his waist, pulling him closer to her as they kissed. Just as she felt her self-control might be waning his phone vibrated in his pocket. Ben pulled back, his eyes warm and full.

"I'm sorry, I have to, I promised I'd be on call and I've already ignored it three times," He whispered quickly, and she nodded once. He smiled slightly, giving her a quick kiss on the forehead as he pulled his phone out of his pocket. He turned his back to her to answer the call. "Yes, sir." He answered roughly, clearing his throat. Ciara smiled at the thought that maybe she was effecting him the way he was her. "Right now isn't the best -" he was clearly cut off, and she could hear a man's voice on the other end of the line shouting. "Of course. I'm on my way." Ben said, admitting defeat. He turned back toward Ciara, clearly worried.

"I'm so sorry babe, but I have to go.

"Is everything okay? Did something happen?"

"There was some sort of incident at the mansion. Stefan wants me back there ASAP."

"Like a break in?

"I don't know, but I'm going to find out. I'll text you." He grabbed her hand and kissed it. Ciara nodded briefly as he quickly turned and was out the door. All in a span of less than 30 seconds and he was gone. She looked around the empty pub, putting her hand on her lips, heat and disappointment running through her simultaneously. It wasn't exactly as she had planned on the night ending.

Suddenly from behind, there was a hand on her waist spinning her around. Ben grabbed her face with both hands, and pulled her into a deep kiss. She was caught so off guard, her arms hung suspended in the air until after a moment they found his waist yet again, pulling him close. Ciara felt his tongue gently touch hers, causing her legs to turn to jelly beneath her. And again, all too soon he pulled away.

"Have dinner with me tomorrow?" He said, his voice gravelly. Ciara gasped for air.

"Okay," was all she could manage. He flashed another dazzling smile. "It's a date." Ben said triumphantly, kissing her lightly once more and leaving her swaying on the spot. He grabbed his jacket from the barstool and flashed one more grin at her as he left. She shook her head slightly, in utter bewilderment.

It definitely wasn't how she'd planned the night on ending.

It was better.

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